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"Father," she sobbed, "I am in deep
water."
v "My darling child'." he exclaimed,
"tell me your troubles."
"Those horrid card parties!" wailed
the spoiled beauty. "I've been led
into betting until I owe nearly $800.
Father," she pleaded, "please held me
out this time. If-1 don't pay, all the
women of our set will cut me and if
fk Vernon finds outiabout it he will raise
a dreadful fuss."
"I will see what I can do," prom-'
ised Mr. .Ross, and his heart sank like
lead, but he concealed his bitter de
spair from Dorothy, to get time to
think and act.
It 'took him only a day to realize
that the sale of everything he had in
the world would not bring more than
a few hundred dollars. He hadpev
er borrowed in his life, but as he
stroked about restlessly that evening
he tried to think of okUtime friends
who might he willing)to help himfcut.
Alas! They were few and far be
tween. "I must find some way to help the
dear child," he reflected with new an
imation as he paused opopsite th&
stylish" apartment house where the
Dales lived. It cheered him to con
sider that "Dorothy was comfortably
? housed amid warmth, light and lux
ury. The artless-old, man did not re
sent the fact that' hewas neyer in
vited to the house, that his son-in-law
when he met him, on "the street
gave him a cool, careless nod. For
all this Ross' walked on, his heart
warmer than ever toward the mer
cenary daughter, whose whim and
extravagance had brought him di
s rectly to the verge of poverty.
' Crash!
m - The old man made a brisk jump.
He was barely in time to -escape be
ing struck by an automobile, which
"had collided with another .machine,
forcing it half way across the side
walk, demolishing its front tires and
reducing the glass wind shield to
atoms. Mr. Ross felt one of the
fragments strike his face. He put
his hand up to his eye, for its visual
power seemed suddenly' blotted out.
His fingers became daubed- with
blood. He experienced a sudden
faintness. A policeman caught his
arm and supported him, while anoth
er ran to the corner patrol box and
telephoned for an ambulance.
"Totally blinded in one eye," waa
the report of the hospital surgeon the
following morning, and he wondered
at the sudden glow of excitementl
that came into the face of his patient.
Through the mind of the sufferer rad
a speedy remembrance of the word
ing of the accident policy he carried:
"For. the loss of one eye, $1,000;
total blindness, $2,500."
And this good man, blinded men
tally to the unworthiness of his mef-1
cenary daughter as he was half
blinded in reality, smiled and ws
glad.
The $1,000 went the way of all ha
previous donations, quickly used by
the reckless Dorothy. Then came
new demands.
The. resources of old Ross were
-ftow exhausted. He had not even a
home. One night, wandering 'th
Btreets, .he was attracted with an ex
cited crowd to-a burning hotel. H6
was among the first to reach it An
officer whom he knew allowed him.tb
pass the fire line as Ross showed him
a littte child at a third-story window.'
shut in by the flames and insisted on
attempting the rescue.
Ross had groped his way to the
room. He took the little one in his
arms. Just in time- to evade a belch
ing gust of flames from a lower win
dow he dropped the child into the out
spread safety net.
"Jump, yourself. Why, it's Mr
Ross! Jump, you brave old man!"
Ross essayed to climb up on the
window sill. Then a new thought
thrilled him. He recalled a plea from
Dorothy for more nioney. He hesi-
tated, for coupled with the thought
was the suggestion that his life Was
insured for $5,000 in her favor. How '
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